


Bonding Exercises

by ChocolateXMyMouth



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Awesome Caitlin Snow, Awesome Iris West, Caitlin Snow & Iris West Friendship, Caitlin Snow Tap Dances, Iris West Tap Dances, Multi, Send in requests!, Team Flash Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24631834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateXMyMouth/pseuds/ChocolateXMyMouth
Summary: (written because I'm sick of all the hate going on in the world. :))Iris West and Caitlin Snow are friends... right? Well, they've never exactly properly hung out, and Iris recently being out of a relationship sets her looking for someone she didn't even know she wanted to be even closer to. However, with an accidental discovery of Caitlin's secret hobby, Iris finds herself on the path to a true friendship with Caitlin. Let's find out how.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Caitlin Snow & Iris West, Barry Allen & Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow & Iris West, Caitlin Snow & Iris West, Caitlin Snow/Iris West (maybe), Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! As I'm sure you're all aware, there's been some... less than favorable drama surrounding the Flash lately. After a quick scroll on Twitter, I had to just... turn it off. I'm so sick of all the hate in the world, no matter what it is. I just don't wanna see hate anymore, y'know?
> 
> So I got to thinking, which fluffy fic could I remaster for Ao3? And this came to mind! I hope ALL Flash fans find enjoyment with this. Love you guys. :)

Iris was really bored as of late. 

And, honestly, kind of sad.

She and Barry had tried to work things out, but soon enough, it became clear that they just weren't as compatible as they had always thought. So today, she was trying to find out where he was to clear up anything he possibly misunderstood when they split off as friends.

And, to be clear, they were still friends and still loved each other - just not like that anymore. And that was okay; probably for the best, to be honest. It just didn’t seem like it would work out. She just didn’t want him to think that she hated him or anything… that was the last thing she wanted.

Iris then noticed, she must not have been keeping track of where she was walking, because somehow, she had ended up on a lower floor than the normal lab, trying to locate him.

But when she got around to looking for Barry on this floor... she heard a very odd sound. 

It sounded almost like banging, and it was kind of odd since repairs weren't often needed on this particular floor. But there was something different than construction or anything like that… this was almost rhythmic. Like it was planned and coordinated.

“That’s strange… never heard anything like that before,” Iris muttered.

After a minute or so of following the noise, however, she found the source...

And boy, was this unexpected.

It was Caitlin. And she was… tap dancing?

And she looked so... so peaceful while she did it. She had her eyes closed, and from the brief twirls she did, Iris could tell she was feeling very peaceful. Something prompted Iris to speak, but she held back her voice. She didn't want to disturb Caitlin.

She looked so graceful as she tapped across the floor, and she looked to be doing every step she could with precision. Iris had absolutely no idea Caitlin could tap dance, and if you had told her that one week ago, she would have laughed and said there was no way, as Caitlin didn't give off a dancer vibe whatsoever.

But suddenly, a squeal snapped Iris out of her trance.

Caitlin had her mouth covered, and she had stopped tap dancing.

"I-Iris!" she exclaimed, suddenly feeling very embarrassed, her cheeks flush with a fresh coat of red. "H-HI! U-Uhm, how l-long have you-"

"A… About a minute,” Iris muttered, rubbing the back of her head. “So, uhm… y-you can uh, you can tap dance! That’s… unexpected.”

"Well... uh, yeah, I guess I can," Caitlin said. "I was into it when I was little, and only recently picked it up again... but I love it."

"And Cisco claims you don't have a life," Iris chuckled. Caitlin let out a bit of a laugh at that. “Uhm.. y-you looked very pretty when you were tapping. A-And I love your shoes!”

“Aww, thank you!” Caitlin smiled, putting her hand over her heart and looking down at her tap shoes - they were simplistic, black with a shine and a small heel, but she was quite fond of them. 

The two stood in a bit of an awkward silence for a moment, Iris spoke up again. “So, u-uhm… you wanna, uh, continue and I watch, or me to get outta here, or-”

"Actually... I've got a better idea," Caitlin smiled. "Why don't you join me?"

"Oh no no no," Iris said, "I'd rather just watch you!"

"C'mon!" Caitlin said, holding out her hands. "I have another two pairs of tap shoes in my purse..."

Iris giggled. “Of course you do. Oh… okay, fine, let’s do it!”

Caitlin smiled, and dug out the spare pairs - there was a pair of tan slip ons and a second pair of black heels. Iris went for the matching pair to Caitlin’s, and after  
Caitlin held her hand for a quick warm up and to make sure she had her balance, Iris was fully ready to start their impromptu lesson.

"Alright, take my hand if you need it," Caitlin said, "balance is crucial when it comes to tap dancing."

"Gotcha," Iris said, taking a hold of Caitlin's hand. "So what's first?"

"You gotta know the basics before you get into the complex stuff," Caitlin explained. "Let's start with a shuffle. Just take the ball of your foot forward and backward, like this."

Caitlin did a small shuffle, and Iris copied her.

"Good job!" Caitlin smiled. "Now, try a flap. It's like this..."

Caitlin took the ball of her foot forward, then tapped it down on the floor. "Don't use your heel. Try it!"

Iris tried the flap, and even though she used her heel the first few times, she eventually was able to do it perfectly. She did find herself shaking a bit, however, but it was all good; this was fun!

"This is really fun!" Iris said.

"I'm so happy you like it!" Caitlin smiled. "I had a feeling you would though."

"Does it get more complex? I'm assuming yes," Iris said.

"Oh yes indeed," Caitlin replied, briefly letting go of Iris’ hand. "Just watch this."

Caitlin then did a series of faster-than-life running flaps, a triple time step, and a scissor step, three of the hardest tap dance steps out there. And she did them faster than Iris could keep up with.

"W-Wow..." Iris marveled, applauding her friend. "Cait, how are you so good at this? And, actually, if you don’t mind… how’d you get into tap dancing?"

"Years and years of practice," Caitlin said, taking a seat to get some water and tell Iris. "Truth be told, I've been tapping since I was seven. My mom and dad were trying to get me into dancing, and although I insisted it wasn't for me, I quickly found tap fun. I also like ballet, jazz, and hip hop, but tap was what stuck with me. And I was dancing as often as I could up until I was twelve, and my dad passed away. I picked it up for a bit again when I was sixteen and desperately needed a hobby, and I've been doing it off and on ever since. Now... If we finally manage to make all this stuff blow over, I think I wanna take dance up as a side-thing, because I think it's really something I should try and take more lessons for."

Caitlin then realized how she had basically told Iris everything there was to know about her history with dance. She blushed and said, "S-Sorry about the history lesson..."

"It was one of the most oddly beautiful lectures I've ever heard," Iris said. "And... I don't want this to sound awkward... but if you decide to take classes again, could I join you?"

"Of course!" Caitlin said. "Nothing would make me prouder!"

Iris smiled, saying “Yay!” and hugging her new dance partner... truth be told, she had desired a true, sincere strong bond with Caitlin for a long time. But now all the stars seemed to be in alignment.

"Now, you wanna learn a tap dance? As in, a routine?" Caitlin asked.

"Sure!" Iris said. "uh... any songs you have in mind?"

"How about Footloose? It's got a good tapping beat," Caitlin suggested.

"Sounds great to me!" Iris said, giving two thumbs up.

“Great!” Caitlin smiled.

Once more, Iris took Caitlin’s hand with a firm grip, and the two began the process of learning their first routine together.

* * * * * * * 

“Okay, now this is my favorite step of all,” Caitlin smiled, seeming so excited to show Iris. “You ready? It's so cool and flashy.”

“Please, do show!” Iris said, standing back so Caitlin could have some space.

Caitlin then did a ‘buffalo’ step, which wasn’t really complex, but Iris didn’t notice at all; what she did notice was how happy Caitlin looked while she was dancing. It was really beautiful to see someone who meant a lot so happy…

“Now you try!” Caitlin said. “It goes hop, shuffle, jump, just to recap.”

“Okay… let’s do this,” Iris said, clapping her hands together and then attempting the step - but she accidentally hopped onto her other foot a little too eagerly, and slipped.

What would’ve been a pretty nasty fall was quickly saved by Caitlin catching her in her arms. “Woah there! You okay Iris?” she asked, gasping as she just barely managed to catch her.

“Oh my gosh!” Iris laughed, not seeing anything bad about what just happened. “That… that was so fun! Y’know, except for the slip, but this isn’t bad!”

Caitlin scoffed, but then smiled. “You are a real handful, you know that?”

“Hey you gave me the shoes!” Iris laughed.

The two laughed and hugged once Iris was back on her feet, and then started to go over the next part of their routine.

* * * * * * *

Caitlin showed Iris the routine’s finish, which the latter copied with ease. "Alright, now shuffle shuffle step," Caitlin said. Iris did the steps, and finished the routine with grace.

"Well done!" Caitlin said, applauding her. "I'm seriously so proud of you right now. Y’know, you have got exactly what it takes to be a good tap dancer!"

"Yay! I'm so happy to hear that, thank you Cait!" Iris giggled. "Or... should I say, tappy?"

"You have my respect now," Caitlin said. "My utmost respect."

Iris giggled once more, before sitting down on the floor so she could take off her tap shoes and put her boots back on. "So, uhm… Cait, I had so much fun today. A-And if you don't mind me asking, when can we do this again?"

"We can meet here tomorrow, since it is Saturday then," Caitlin said, also kneeling down and unbuckling her own shoes. "We could also have a much longer class, and I won’t be in a blouse and skirt."

"Sounds awesome!" Iris smiled, standing up after putting her boots back on, then helping Caitlin up. "Well... I guess this is goodbye for tonight."

"Guess so," Caitlin said, seeming a bit upset before smiling. "But I've had so much fun. I really have."

"Same here!" Iris said. "Oh, I'm assuming you'll want your tap shoes back-"

"Keep them!" Caitlin said, stopping her from handing them back. "The other pair is just a spare one, I literally never use the ones you're wearing. I actually bought  
them with the sole intention of selling them or giving them away."

Iris gasped softly, but her smile was even wider than before. “O-Oh my gosh, you’re serious? Uh… uh, thank you Cait! I-I don’t know what to say!”

"It's no trouble!" Caitlin said. “Hey… I want you to know I’ve had a great time. I’m glad we’re growing closer, Iris.”

“Me too, me too,” Iris said, wrapping her arm around Caitlin’s waist as the two began to walk out of the building. “You’re a really good person, Caitlin. And an equally great friend.”

“The same can be said about you,” smiled Caitlin, returning the gesture around Iris’ waist.

And with that, the two dance partners kept their arms around one another all the way to the outside building, even leaning on each other's shoulders as they walked out.

This was the start of something beautiful.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: This one has a bit more of the SnowWest ship in it, especially towards the end. :)

Caitlin, Iris, and Felicity Smoak were all gathered around a table - and why, I hear you asking? Because tonight was Felicity's bachelorette party, and Caitlin and Iris were going all out with the planning.

They had reserved a table at Felicity's favorite restaurant, and had even prepared a special surprise for the end of the night…

And yes, it was tap dancing together.

Iris had, as of late, gotten pretty good with her footwork and was now a semi-intermediate level tapper, according to herself. Caitlin thought she was an excellent learner, and Iris knew she had a great teacher to back her up. And recently, it was learned that Felicity herself adored tap dancing and secretly wanted to take it back up again.

Which is why, all throughout the night, Caitlin and Iris stole little glances and giggles at one another when Felicity wasn’t looking.

"You guys, this is the best bachelorette party I could've ever asked for," the bride-to-be of Oliver Queen smiled warmly. "Thank you both so much."

"No need to thank us, gorgeous," Caitlin said. "This is your night."

“Sorry we aren’t doing more wild stuff…” Iris said, though she winked at Caitlin.

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Felicity beamed. “Pretty dresses, pretty girls, and fantastic food, all in a night of relaxation? This is a night in heaven for me!”

“Well, that’s all that matters then!” Iris smiled warmly.

"Indeed, your happiness is top priority,” Caitlin said, equally as happy. “Oh, before I forget... we have another surprise for you.”

"Oooh oh oh! What is it?" Felicity asked excitedly.

"Well, me and Iris have both spoken, and since we know you can too..." Caitlin said, smiling and gesturing for Iris to deliver the surprise.

"Once we finish up here… we’re going tap dancing!” Iris said.

"W-Wait... I'm sorry, what?!" Felicity exclaimed, the smile on her face growing bigger by the second.

"We all can tap dance, so why not?" Caitlin smiled, shrugging. "And it's your bachelorette party! Plus, it's been too long since I had a good tap session."

“Same here,” Iris remarked. “Like, months.”

"You all can tap dance! I can tap dance!" Felicity babbled adorably. "Oh my gosh... we all can tap dance!"

"I love tap; it's super fun!" Iris said. "And probably one of the best pastimes I've come across."

"And plus, I got us a studio for a few hours," Caitlin smiled.

“No you didn’t!!” Felicity exclaimed, her jaw dropping once more. “Oh my gosh… you guys, I love you so much.”

“We love you too, girlie!” Caitlin smiled.

"You guys... Let's do it!" she shrieked happily, almost getting up right then and there.

"Well, we should probably finish eating first," Caitlin pointed out, gesturing to their half eaten entrees.

"Good point," the two other women agreed.

And in about the span of twenty minutes, the trio had ended up at the studio. They all got a good picture for Caitlin’s Instagram (she had become quite fond of the app recently), and their tap shoes were the focus - of course.

"I got us a room rented out for about four hours, it was a lot cheaper than I expected," smiled Caitlin. "You gals ready to tap your troubles away?"

"Sounds like the best time ever to me," Iris smiled.

"Best bachelorette party I could ever ask for," Felicity said. "Just a couple girlfriends tap dancing the night away... gosh, I am blessed. I love you both so much."

"We love you too, Lis," Caitlin beamed.

“If I may suggest, ladies… I say we get tapping," Iris said, slapping her toes down to make a series of sounds.

"Lets!" Felicity agreed.

**-0-**

Iris and Felicity were now doing a small duet that involved some swing steps, and Caitlin was stomping out the beat of the music from the bench in the back of the room.

Felicity was giggling from all the excitement she was able to tap out, and Iris had a smile glued to her face as she danced. Apparently, Caitlin was also a pretty good whistler, and had demonstrated some of her skill in that department.

As shocking as it was, Felicity probably loved tap dancing the most out of anyone in the room - well, okay, maybe tied with Caitlin. But it was her favorite secret hobby for sure.

“Whoo! This feels so amazing!” Felicity gasped, continuing to tap with Iris.

“Right?!” Iris said, beaming as she showed off to her teacher a new step she had learned. Caitlin gave two thumbs up, and a beautiful smile as well, which was all Iris needed to know she had done good. Felicity and Iris then rejoined hands, and swung out one last time before their routine ended.

"And, et-voila!" the two women gasped, stretching out in a fancy pose.

"Great job girls!!" Caitlin clapped. "You did so good!"

"Oh, stop it you," Felicity giggled.

"You dance for us now," Iris said, sitting down on the bench. "You've been sitting on that bench and haven't gotten a chance to stretch your legs, go on up there!"

“Yeah, it's your turn to tap!” Felicity smiled.

"Oh, if you insist," Caitlin giggled, getting up. 

The brown haired doctor tapped across the floor, and clapped out a beat to begin her improv. With smiles practically glued onto their faces, Iris and Felicity watched Caitlin take off tap dancing with so much love in their eyes for their friend.

"She's so gorgeous when she tap dances," Iris said. “Like, look at that footwork! My gosh!” "You haven't seen her true potential yet," Felicity smiled. "When she wants to, this woman can _dance_. And she'll let you know it!"

Iris had been lucky enough to have Caitlin tap dance for her a few times over the course of the past year and some months... she missed it. She had missed it a lot.

Caitlin, meanwhile, was exhibiting true grace as she strode across the floor like an angel... a very loud one, but an angel nonetheless.

However...

Something not exactly... peachy happened.

She slipped, and landed on her side - she wasn’t hurt, not at all; her elbow and arm had broken her fall, but it was enough to give her quite a scare.

"Oh god, Cait!" Felicity said. She and Iris rushed to Caitlin's side, and she was cringing.

“Are you okay Cait?” asked Iris, putting her head into her hand.

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine! It was more the scare than anything else,” Caitlin cringed, before she felt a sensation in her stomach and head. “...Uh oh..”

“Uh oh what?” asked Iris, raising a brow.

"Guys...get ready for a hell of a night," Caitlin cringed.

"Why?" Iris asked. "A-Are you okay?"

However, before she could answer, her hair then began to turn crystal white with a glimmer of purple and blue, and Iris and Felicity immediately knew what was coming... or rather, who.

In a few seconds, Killer Frost was sitting pretty in the middle of the floor. "Oh, hey ladies… what’s with the huge mirror on the wall? And… and ew, what are these cinder-blocks on my feet?"

"They're called 'tap shoes'," Felicity said. "And… wait, why aren’t you already trying to freeze us?”

Frost shrugged. “What’s a ‘tap shoe’ exactly? It's heavy and I don’t like it.”

“Uhm… y-you use them for, uh… for tap dancing,” Iris said, still trying to understand why Frost was so passive all of a sudden. “It's loud… it's fun, pretty… it's a lot of things.”

"Hmm, not too bad," Frost muttered, slamming her foot down to make some really sharp noises. “Huh. I could get used to this.”

“Yeah, it's fun!” Iris said. She stepped back and demonstrated a time step for good measure... maybe this would make Frost wanna join them. “You wanna… you wanna tap with me and Felicity?” 

"Hey, can we check out a bar I like? Never mind, we'll head there as soon as I figure out where we parked. That okay with you ladies?" Frost said, almost completely ignoring Iris' question.

Frost then strutted out and grabbed Caitlin’s things, not waiting for an answer, and muttering about how much she hated pink.

"I think we'll have to put the tap dancing on hold, sorry," Iris said, an apologetic look on her face.

"Don't worry about it! I've got... a very interesting feeling about this," Felicity said, already unbuckling her tap shoes. "Besides, we can always come back after."

Iris nodded, biting her lip… 

This was gonna be an interesting evening.

**-0-**

Frost led Iris and Felicity to a local club, where the lights weren't as extreme as some clubs they knew, and the music wasn't the worst. However, it was nowhere near top tier clubs for bachelorette parties.

"Here we are, my favorite club," Frost smiled sarcastically, hopping up onto a barstool and ordering a shot of Brandy.

"What is... 'Night Of Zombies'?" asked Felicity, staring at the neon sign above the dance floor. Frost stared at her like she was an idiot.

"A night where people get so drunk they turn into zombies, for the most part," Frost said, unable to stifle a smirk. "Caity came here a few times during that long six month period without Barry... poor thing got so much applause for her performances, yet her heart left heavy. Shame, I remember this 'tap dancing' stuff always cheered her up. Didn't work for a bit."

"Well, why are we here again?" asked Iris.

"I wanted to see how good I am at this tap dancing thing just using Cait's memories of all those steps," Frost smirked. "I'd bet anything I leave her with three guys... frozen in place."

Iris looked at Frost with sympathetic eyes. She didn’t seem… evil, just… out of place. Like her heart wasn’t in the words she was saying.

"Hey, Iris," Iris whispered. "C'mere for a sec..."

"What's up?" Felicity asked.

"I... I don't think Frost is as mean as she intends to come across as," said Iris. "She seems... softer than before. Like, I think she does like us - but she won’t admit it, y’know?"

"I know," Felicity nodded. “What do you think we could do to try and cheer her up?”

The two women thought for a moment, before Iris said, "Wait... I got an idea."

"Go for it," Felicity said.

"Her, Frost," Iris said gently, putting her hand on the snow queen’s shoulder. "Uh... have you ever tried to tap dance yourself?"

"No..." Frost answered, a bit hesitant in her tone. "Why do you ask?"

"You'd love it!" Iris said. "It's so much fun! And it's got a lot of risk, I've sprained my ankles quite a lot doing some of the stuff Caitlin has shown me. And above all, Cait has excellent taste in tap shoes."

"And plus, its loud and disturbs apartment neighbors!" exclaimed Felicity. "It's everything you'd love!"

"Hm... it does seem kinda cool," Frost shrugged. "Anything else?"

"You can take out all your anger on the floor, not like it's gonna fight back," Iris pointed out.

"And it takes your mind off of a lot," Felicity added. "Don't tell Oliver this, but sometimes I use his mat as a tap board and then blame the scratches on someone else."  


Frost let out a quick giggle, but quickly silenced herself.

“Felicity’s right, y’know,” Iris said. “Even as a beginner I quickly learned how de-stressing tap is. And… I can kinda tell you’re a bit stressed right now, no?”

Frost tried to ignore Iris’ comments, but just let out a sigh as she put her chin in her hand.

"Look, all we're saying is there's no shame in liking something, or someone," Iris continued. "I can tell you put on a thick and icy persona because it's what's expected of you, but... if you have a soft side that you're scared of showing because of what people might think, you've got two girls here who love you no matter what."

"Absolutely," Felicity smiled. “And, Barry and Cisco, they’ll love you too, you know that?” 

Frost bit her lip. "I... never really had any friends. So... this... this means a lot."

"I knew you were a big ol' softie," Iris chuckled, hugging the ice queen.

"Shut up!" Frost whined. However, a very small lip twitch gave away that she wasn’t mad at all. But she just wasn’t ready to show it.

“Hey, c’mon, let’s go back to the studio,” Iris said. “We can give you a lesson! And we’ll use all the knowledge Cait taught us to make sure you can tap too.”

"Hmm... fine, but only because you're forcing me," Frost muttered.

"Oh yeah, totally," Felicity chuckled. "C'mon, softie. Lets go destroy some hardwood."

Frost liked the sound of that.

**-0-**

It was now two hours later... Felicity had been dropped off by the other two women at her apartment, and several hugs and cheek kisses were exchanged between them all. Frost had turned back into Caitlin after the impromptu tap lesson, and she was so happy that the two managed to get Frost to admit she was really a big softie at the center of her frozen heart - which really was never frozen to begin with.

And now, tired but triumphant, Caitlin and Iris had their hands and heads on each other's shoulders as they walked back into the lab. They were both a bit tipsy after getting a couple shots at that bar, but they were both still very much aware of everything.

"Wow...what a night, huh?" Caitlin sighed contently.

"Indeed it was," Iris said. "I had a great time. I know Felicity did too. Now I want my bachelorette party to be like that!"

The two girls shared a giggle at that comment.

"Me too, honestly... me too," Caitlin smiled, before turning to face Iris. "Hey... if you ever want to tap dance with either of us, I'm always available. I love doing it with you. You're the best dance partner a tap dancing gal could ever ask for."

"You know I’ll tell you if I ever do," Iris smiled. "And also... I love you Cait."

"I love you too, Iris," Caitlin said, hugging Iris. She hugged her back, and the two best friends were happy that such a thing like tap dancing had led to them bonding.

“Hey uhm… we-we didn’t get to tap dance together tonight; y’know, just me and you...” Iris said, brushing the hair behind her ear back with her hand. “So, like… you wanna… uh…”

Caitlin giggled. “Yes Iris, I would _love_ to tap dance with you.” 

“Hehe, yay!” Iris smiled, doing jazz hands - and cracking Caitlin up by doing so. And with that, she stopped her from doing that move by taking a hold of her hand and leading the way down to their usual stomping grounds, click clacking all the way down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh okay that was SO WHOLESOME to write, I seriously couldn't get the smile of of my face lol. I love these two ok!
> 
> Anyway, next chapter will be a redux of Duet! You can probably tell where that's going. ;) 
> 
> Thanks for reading guys! Kudos/Comments are loved and appreciated! Thank you all so much, love ya, and stay safe out there! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope that put a smile on your face. It put one on mine just typing it over again!
> 
> Kudos/Comments are loved and appreciated! AND - I'm open to suggestions for future chapters! Leave a comment if there's anything specific you'd like to see! Thanks again guys! Put on a smile and stay safe, okay? Love you all! :)


End file.
